


Failing Father

by OnceUponASunsetDream



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Clark is a crappy dad, Connor is neglected, Dick and Robin are twins, Gen, but he tries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-09
Updated: 2014-04-09
Packaged: 2018-01-18 18:39:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1438681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceUponASunsetDream/pseuds/OnceUponASunsetDream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connor was reaching the end of his tether. He got that he had been a mistake, a teenage accident but could his father at least pretend to love him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I found that there was a shocking lack of any story with a Clark and Connor father/son relationship in this particular fandom. So, again, I wrote my own. I'm not particularly happy with this, I think it's a bit...cheesy? But I couldn't figure out another way to write it.

Clark arrived home late, as usual. He lay his briefcase on the island bench in his two bedroom apartment and loosened his tie as he filled a glass of water and looked up at the clock. 10:26 PM. Clark sighed and placed his now empty glass in the sink beside a dirty plate, knife, fork and another glass. He looked at them silently for a moment, guilt flooding his system but he shoved it down as he had done so well for the last fifteen years at least. Leaving the kitchen he paused, hearing noise from the living room. Leaning on the doorframe he folded his arms and watched a few minutes of the movie playing on the screen. 

Craning his neck, Clark saw a dark head of hair lying on the couch in front of the TV, a large white Labrador sprawled beside Clark's sixteen year old son. "Hey." Clark greeted softly, watching as the boy stiffened but didn't jump. "What are you doing still up? Don't you have school tomorrow?" 

There was a grunt of response and Clark sighed, pushing off the doorframe and preparing to go to bed. "Do you love me?" came a small voice from the couch and Clark froze. 

"Sorry?" he questioned slowly. 

His son sat up, the Labrador, Wolf rearranging himself on the boy's lap with a small huff. Clark watched his son glare at him with well deserved anger. "You heard me. Do you love me or do you hate me? Dick seems to think that you love me but I can't help but feel that you don't."

Clark was stunned. He knew he wasn't a wonderful father but he never thought he was that bad. "Connor." he whispered. "Of course I love you. What made you think that?" he crossed the room, flipping on a lamp and switching off the TV. He knelt beside the couch, staring his son in the face. "I know I haven't been the best father but-"

"You're a terrible father!" Connor hissed furiously. "You never pay attention to me, you've never spent a whole day, alone, in my presence, when school gets out, I'm shipped off to the farm in Smallville." Connor was leaning towards him, an ugly look on his teenaged face as he hissed at his father. "Robin and Dick both say that they've heard Bruce talking to Alfred about me. Do you know how they classify your 'parenting skills'?" he asked harshly, creating violent quotation marks around the words. Clark shook his head wordlessly. "Neglectful. They think you're a neglectful father, the twins agree, I agree. Lois has helped me with my homework more than you and she's your God damned girlfriend!"

"I'm sorry." Clark whispered, unable to meet the furious blue eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"That's not good enough! Do the people at your work even know you have a son? Lois has told me that she didn't even know I existed until she started dating you and I have to wonder, how ashamed are you of me? I know I was a teenage mistake and you never wanted a child at nineteen but you didn't have to raise me. You didn't have to have anything to do with me. You could have set me up for adoption, you could have left me in an orphanage! Hell, you could have dumped me on the streets! But you didn't. You took me in and raised me. The least you could have done is at least pretend to like your only son."

Clark reached for Connor and took the young face, nearly identical to his own in his hands, and wondered if he'd ever done this before, held his child's face in his hands and looked carefully into angry and pained tear filled eyes. "I-I'm not good at feelings, Connor. I don't know how to express my emotions. I tried to work so much when you were little so that I could save money to support us for when you were older. It didn’t occur to me that I would be away so long and then when you were older I just didn't stop."

He rubbed his thumbs across Connor's cheeks and closed his eyes briefly. "I was scared. Your mother came to my apartment, seven months after you were born. She told me what had happened, put you in my arms, handed me a bag with all your things and a whole stack of legal papers and then she just...left. No phone calls, no letters, no contact whatsoever. I didn't know how to be a father and I considered adoption but then, I couldn't do it. I was adopted and I couldn't put my own son through the same curiosity and fear as I experienced. What if I did set you up for adoption and then eighteen years down the track you tracked me down and demanded answers I didn't have? But I was nineteen. I had no idea how to look after a baby. Ma and Pa helped me, but I knew that I had to be your primary caregiver and that was such a terrifying notion, I couldn't digest it."

Connor was watching Clark with wide eyes, listening as the story of his early life was revealed. "Why didn't you try harder?" he asked bitterly.

Clark winced. "I told myself that by working more, I was ensuring that you would have a good life, that you would be able to go to a good school, to university, live a normal life. I never realised how much you suffered." he shuffled closer, one hand rising to run through his son's soft hair. "I'm sorry Connor, you have no idea how sorry I am. Do you want me to take you to work tomorrow, after school?" Connor nodded slowly, a small smile reaching his lips. "And this summer, I'll take leave and we'll go somewhere other than the farm, I promise. Ok?" 

Connor nodded happily and wrapped his arms around his father, slipping off the couch to sit beside Clark, Wolf huffing irritably and curling up in the space where Connor had been. Clark wrapped his arms around his son in a proper hug, the likes of which they hadn't shared for years. "I'll try to be better, son. I promise. It may take a while to get out of my bad habits, but I'll try. I swear."

"Thanks Dad." Connor murmured, leaning closer into Clark's embrace.

Clark felt a warmth spread through his chest and tightened his grip around his child and thought that maybe their lives would be better now. Now that they had recognised their long hidden and repressed love.


	2. Chapter 2

When Connor woke the next day it was if the night before had been a dream. The apartment was just as silent as usual and he signed in resignation. So much for a new leaf. He felt the hope that had swelled in his chest shrivel a bit but it didn't completely die. Not yet. There was still the chance that his father would pull through.

As he got ready for school, Connor noticed a few anomalies around the flat, small signs that fuelled the flame of hope in his soul. There was a cup of warm coffee on the table, waiting for him and a few dollar notes with a piece of paper beneath them. Connor picked it up and read through it, a disbelieving smile on his face. Lunch money. Of course he had always gotten lunch money from his father but this was different. This was money left out for him with a note from his father that ended with 'I love you'!

Heart flying, Connor got ready for school and made the bus just on time. At the end of the half hour trip to Gotham Academy Connor found the twins, Robin and Richard, (Call me Dick or I'll punch you! Don't think I won't!) Grayson waiting for him just inside the school grounds with matching grins and messy hair that Alfred had valiantly tried to tame. The both bounded up to him and grabbed one of his arms. "Hey Connor!" they chirped in unison. "How you doin'?"

The trio ignore the odd looks they got. They always got strange looks from the posh, rich upper class that attended the prestigious Academy. The twins were the adopted sons of Gotham's prince, Bruce Wayne but they had originated from the circus and everyone knew their story. As a result they were often at the receiving end of circus or charity case jokes but the two never let it get to them. Their adoptive father was more powerful and far richer than anyone else in the city of Gotham and most of America. Also the way that they did everything together and often in such perfect sync freaked the majority of the population out. Indeed it had taken a while for Connor to adjust to the pair but now it was so normal that hearing either of them speaking without the other sounded strange.

Connor grinned down at them. They were both far shorter than anyone else their age and seeing as Connor was a year and a half older as well as taller than the majority of people in his year he simply towered over them. "I'm good, actually." he replied. "Really good."

The twins exchanged loaded looks before latching onto Connor's arms again and staring up at him with identical blue puppy dog eyes. He laughed and wrapped his arms around them, pulling them into his sides. "I made my dad talk to me last night." he revealed, watching as their eyes widened.

"Really?" Robin asked, sounding amazed.

"What happened?" Dick breathed.

Connor smiled at the boys he saw as his little brothers. "It was...amazing. I asked if he loved me and he told me everything. Said that he wasn't ready to be a father but he tried to work so much so that I could have a good future, go to a good school and then to collage. He said he tried really hard to give me a good life but it sort of seems like he forgot to talk to me. He said he loved me and that he's going to take me to work with him after school."

"Oh, Connor, that's wonderful!" Robin cried as Dick did a cartwheel, a smile on his face. "We'll wait with you 'till he comes." they promised in unison.

"Thanks guys." he muttered. "I'd rather not wait alone. Y'know? Just in case."

Dick and Robin both nodded, faces uncharacteristically solemn. "Of course we'll wait." Dick murmured, patting his hand gently.

Robin smiled gently up at him. "And if something goes wrong then you can come home with us and have some of Alfred's cookies and hot chocolate."

Connor nodded and the three of tem ran into the school as the bell rang, the twins darting off down one corridor while Connor sprinted towards the English rooms.

As the day dragged on, the pit of anxiety in Connor's stomach grew and he could barely eat his lunch, earning him worried looks from the twins who exchanged furtive glances. Connor was sure they had developed a secret language that was just different twitches of their faces so that they could communicate without making a sound, even if they had their own language which was a mix of English and their native Romani tongue. Finally the final bell rang and Connor joined the throng of students streaming to the front doors. He sat down on the low brick wall outside the school and looked for his father's pale blue car. It only took a few minutes for the twins to find him, perching on the wall to either side of him, faces lit with the same cheeky smile.

"We called Alfred." They informed him. "He'll be here in half an hour. If your dad's not here by then, you're coming with us for hot chocolate, cookies and a late night movie marathon followed by a sleepover of epic proportions."

"God, I love Friday." Robin breathed as his twin pushed himself up into a handstand on the wall.

"Thanks guys. I really appreciate this."

Half an hour later came and went. Alfred arrived in the slick black limo he used to chauffer the twins and Bruce around but he also agreed to wait a 'little more' which became 'he has to come! He promised this time! Just a bit longer, please!' Alfred hadn't found it in his heart to deny the poor boy who staring at him with imploring blue eyes, threatening tears and so had agreed to wait with the three boys.

Connor was just beginning to loose the small shred of hope he had left when there was the sound of an approaching car. They all looked up, Connor from his knees, Alfred from where he was leaning against the limo with a newspaper in his hands and the twins both twisted their heads to look down the street from their upside down positions where they had been trying to entertain and distract Connor. A small pale blue car was speeding down the street and it screeched to a halt behind the limo. Clark Kent exited the car looking frazzled and harried, hair in disarray and eyes frantic. Connor grinned as Alfred stood tall, offering a hand to the reporter. "Mr Kent, I presume?" Clark nodded as he took Alfred's hand. "I am Alfred Pennyworth. Mister Wayne's butler." If Alfred's words were colder than usual then no one mentioned it.

"Pleasure to meet you." Mr Kent replied, shaking the butler's hand and valiantly not wincing when his hand was squeezed a lot tighter than necessary. "I'm so sorry I was late." he said to his son. "Perry wouldn't let me go until Lois got back and she was chasing some story about the sewer systems, in the sewers, so her phone had no signal and we couldn't contact her."

Connor nodded with a small smile. "it's ok." he murmured, turning to watch the twins as they darted past him.

They barely reached Clark's chest, they were so small, but that didn't stop them from looking any less intimidating as they frowned up at the reporter who admittedly looked a bit unnerved at the two identical faces looking up at him. "Hello Mr Kent." they said in unison, holding out their hands to Clark in perfect sync.

Clark blinked down at them and Connor noticed Alfred behind his father looking at the twins somewhat smugly and with a fair amount of pride as they confused his father. He could admit to himself, it was amusing to see his best friends befuddling his father who didn't seem to know what to do when presented with two hands at once, eventually taking one hand, shaking and then taking the other. The two twin faces grinned wolfishly up at him, identical blue-grey eyes staring at him, not reflecting the smile on their mouths. "We're Dick and Robin Wayne." they said pointing to each other with no real indication of which was which and emphasising the name of one of the most powerful and influential men in the world. "Connor's our best friend, can he come over tomorrow?"

Clark blinked at them before shaking his head distractedly and smiled. It looked quite a bit strained. The twins smirked. "It's good to meet you, how long have you known Connor?"

"Since we were eight and he was ten."

"Oh." Clark looked awkward and then nodded. "Of course he can go tomorrow. We're just going back to Metropolis, you ready Connor?" he asked turning back to his son.

Connor nodded and stepped forward to give the twins a hug. "See you tomorrow guys." he whispered and waved at Alfred with a blinding smile as he followed his father to the car.

Alfred lay his hands on the twin's shoulders as they watched the car take off down the street and out of sight. "Well done boys." he murmured looking down at the two mischievous faces. "I hope things will be better for him now."

Dick grinned up at the elderly butler, "And if it doesn't we can get Bruce to adopt him!"

Alfred rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he herded the two to the car while they talked about the possibilities of adopting Connor.

When Connor followed his father out of the lift and into the room where the man worked, heads turned towards them and Connor found himself shrinking behind his father. Lois waved at him with a smile and she positively beamed at Clark, pride emanating from her. Clark looked a bit unsettled under the dozens of eyes boring into him but he squared his shoulders and wrapped an arm around Connor, pulling him to his side. "Everyone." he announced calmly, ignoring the approach of his boss who looked ready to release a well known bellow. "This is Connor Kent. My son."


End file.
